There is good news and bad news for those wanting to switch to an electric vehicle (EV) in Newfoundland and Labrador, as the government has extended the EV rebate program into 2025. However at the same time, the government has changed the eligibility requirements to exclude new Tesla vehicles.
According to an update to the province’s EV rebate program website on Wednesday, buyers will be able to take advantage of the $2,500 incentive through to at least March 15, 2025. The program was set to expire at the end of this month, March 2024.
While this is good news for EV adoption in Newfoundland and Labrador, which sits near the bottom of the national rankings with just 526 new EVs registered in 2024 and 1,240 in total, according to provincial data, the program now excludes the world’s most popular EV brand, Tesla.
Along with extended the program, the province now says you must purchase your EV “within Newfoundland and Labrador from a licensed vehicle dealership.” Since Tesla has no physical presence in the province, new Tesla purchases are excluded as of April 1, 2024.
While the requirements don’t specifically mention Tesla’s exclusion, the province confirmed with us that this is the case
“As per the New eligibility requirements for the EV rebate, New Tesla vehicles will not qualify for a rebate as of April 1, 2024 as there are no dealerships currently in our province,” a takeCHARGE spokesperson told Drive Tesla.
However, the provincial rebate program does include used Tesla purchases, so these can still qualify for the $2,500 rebate if purchased from a dealership within the province.
Fortunately this change does not impact the ability for residents to receive the federal $5,000 iZEV rebate.
You can read more about the Newfoundland and Labrador EV rebate program and the new requirements here.
